Applesauce Oatmeal

This morning saw the return of one of my favorite oatmeal combos- applesauce and oatmeal. I still have about 1/3 of a jar of super healthy no-sugar-or-anything-sweet-added applesauce (bought on sale for 45cents!) in the fridge and this morning saw the 1/3 reduced a bit. I simply cooked up my oats as per usual, and while they were coming to a simmer placed a heaping tablespoon of applesauce at the bottom of my breakfast bowl, and mixed in generous amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. When the oats were sticky and done I poured them over the delicious additives and stirred them up. Result? Deliciously healthy oatmeal.

The existence of applesauce in my fridge is a byproduct of my great love for applesauce. My love affair with applesauce is something rather recent. For years I never ate the stuff, then one summer at my Uncle Skipper's old place in North Eastern Washington state, I had a life changing experience. My Uncle Skipper fed me homemade apple sauce. Things have never been the same since. It was a changing moment in my life. I'm still not exactly sure what he put in it, but it was out of this world. After that magical experience, applesauce was briefly forgotten and I concentrated on other things. I rediscovered applesauce a few years later as a magnificent substitute for sugar, eggs, butter, and many other unsavory and unhealthy ingredients used in baking. Applesauce became my secret weapon when making banana bread, but otherwise it was relegated to occasional use, languishing mostly forgotten in my fridge. Then this year, in search of something healthy and sweet to eat, I rediscovered applesauce. It was my savior when the wisdom teeth came out and has been a staple of my fridge ever since. And now the world knows- it makes for a mean bowl of oatmeal.